The Commitment  3rd in series
by Beth - Geek Chick
Summary: Repost. 3rd in series following The Apartment and The Couple. A case in Vegas finalizes Annie and Auggie's commitment to each other.


Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Part 3 of my Annie/Auggie series, rounding out the trilogy.

"Still think we have to do this?" Auggie asked, squeezing his bicep where Annie's hand rested against it to his side as they strolled down the hallway to the DPD.

Annie laughed and dug her nails into his bicep.

"Okay, okay, release me," Auggie gasped. "So that's a yes?"

"I just don't want to be jumped by half the female CIA contigent," Annie explained. "Which will happen if they see us holding hands. Or -" she said, shifting away from him, "if they spy your hands anywhere on my person."

"You're taking all the fun out of being my girlfriend," Auggie whispered with a joking whine.

"You didn't think yesterday was fun?" Annie whispered back.

"No, yesterday was one of the best days of my life," Auggie said, all traces of joking gone. "I know we can't spend every day and night together, but for all the rest of them, I want to wake up where you are."

Any reply Annie could have formed to his statement, if she could have formed one, given that her heart was in her throat at the moment, was belayed by the opening of the DPD glass doors by a tall, blonde, smiling man.

"Annie! My God, I haven't seen you in months! I'm so sorry I couldn't be here for you about that awful Mercer business, but Arthur's had me out of country for the past six months," Conrad Sheehan gushed, walking straight up to Annie and grasping her shoulders. "But I'm glad you made it home safe."

"Conrad, it's good to see you, too," Annie said, releasing Auggie's arm to receive the air kiss Conrad was leaning into.

"And Auggie, of course, great to see you, too," he said, clapping Auggie on the shoulder. "Look, you two, I'm back in-house, and we should definitely get together again. Sometime this weekend? Great!" he exclaimed, and strode down the hall.

Startled at the sudden appearance by Conrad, and still reeling from Auggie's last statement, Annie stood stock still until a not-so-subtle "ahem" startled her out of her reverie. She looked over at Auggie, who stood with his arms crossed across his chest and a knowing smirk on his face. "Have I lost you already?" he said. "I have to say, Conrad may be a great-looking guy, but I won't give you up without a fight."

Smacking him lightly across his shoulder, Annie took his elbow and leaned in to whisper, "That's not what I was thinking about, and you know it."

"Come on, the sooner we start working, the sooner we can get home," he whispered back, then opened the door.

Stu looked up from his computer as he heard the door to Tech Ops open. "Hey, Auggie."

"Stu! Here early for once, huh?" Auggie replied, smiling. Feeling his way around his desk, he said, "How was your weekend?"

"Fine, thanks," Stu replied, puzzled. Normally caustic, sarcastic and quiet, his boss had never asked him about his weekend before. True, they'd worked together for a while, but Auggie was so dedicated to his work, being friendly never really entered their relationship. "Umm, how was yours?"

"Fantastic, thanks for asking," he replied, slipping his headphones over his ears and powering up his computer.

His curiosity piqued, Stu studied his office mate for a minute. He was good at figuring out puzzles, and Auggie's change in demeanor was a puzzlement. Let's see, he thought, what could make the man so happy, he was nearly bursting with joy? A woman, of course, but lately, the CIA bunnies had been steering clear of him. The underground rumor mill had it that Auggie was in deep with someone. But the identity of that someone had never been found, much to the disappointment of several women who thrived on office gossip. The few facts he had were that a few months ago, that new agent, Annie Walker, had moved into his apartment building. And on days where she wasn't out in the field, she provided his ride to and from the office. He knew they were close friends, but what if -

Suddenly, a thought popped in his head. He had a hunch, and he decided to play it. "Hey, Auggie?"

"Yeah?" Auggie said, pulling off his headphones.

"You're friends with Walker, right?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"I was wondering if you'd put in a good word for me."

"A good word?" Auggie asked.

"Yeah, you know, I was thinking about asking her out, but I'm sure she sees me as just some geek in the tech department. Would you do it?" Stu asked, gauging the man's reply and facial demeanor.

"Uhh, I can't do that, Stu," Auggie replied. "Besides, I think Annie's seeing someone else."

"Damn," Stu replied, biting his cheek to keep his tone of voice even. "You sure, man? Is it serious? Maybe if we -"

"No," Auggie said, a little more forcefully than necessary.

Ahh, there it is, Stu thought, patting himself on the back. It was Walker he's seeing. He never thought he'd see the day when the DPD Don Juan would settle down. "So how long have you and Annie been together?" he asked, smiling at his own successful subterfuge.

"What? We're not -" Auggie stuttered, before realizing he'd been had. "Well-played, Stu. Had me going there. But please, don't let it get around, okay? Joan knows, but we'd rather keep this private."

Standing, Stu walked over to Auggie and clapped his hand on the man's shoulder. "Don't worry, Aug. I got your back."

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

"We may have a problem," Auggie said, as he placed the grocery bags on Annie's kitchen island. They'd had to stop for groceries after work. Annie usually spent her Sunday afternoons shopping, but neither of them had wanted to leave her bed that day, as they found new and delicious ways to express their newfound love. But intimacy doesn't fill her refrigerator, as she pointed out to him after they left for work, and she dragged him to the grocery store. Auggie hadn't been to one for a long time, as he had his food and sundries delivered these days.

"What kind of problem?" Annie asked, unpacking the bags.

"I know you said you wanted to keep our relationship on the down low at work, but -" Auggie sighed, perching himself on a stool at the end of the counter. "Stu found out."

"Stu? How did he - you didn't tell him, did you?" Annie asked.

"No, I - well, yes, I did, but he guessed first. Apparently, my lack of dating and your new living arrangements got him to thinking."

"And he put two and two together, I guess," Annie said with a laugh. "Think anybody else knows?"

"No, but the place is known for titillating gossip if the story is good."

Annie placed the jug of milk in the refrigerator and walked over to Auggie, curling her arm around his shoulder. His arm slid around her waist, and he buried his face in her neck. "So what do you propose we do? Make out in your office with the blinds open? It'd make for a hell of a show," she said.

Auggie moaned into her throat at the thought. In the past few weeks, Annie surprised him with her subtle sensuality. It was pure and natural, and he doubted she knew how intensely it affected him. "Only if you'll stand with me in the unemployment line the next day."

Annie giggled and brushed a kiss against his forehead before resuming putting the items away. "I'd stand with you anywhere, Auggie. But you want to know where my favorite place to be with you is?"

Auggie's eyebrows rose at this question, and a wide smile broke across his face, "Yeah, I think you mentioned it yesterday afternoon. Several times."

Returning his smile and feeling a blush creeping up her neck, Annie said, "Okay, want to know where my second favorite place to be with you is? When I'm out in the field, and your voice is there, in my ear, cheering me on and telling me everything's going to be fine. I'd be lost without you."

Hearing the wistfulness in her voice, touched with a tone of sadness, Auggie stood and walked over to her. She was standing with her back to him at the counter, and he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. "Wanna know my favorite place with you is? Right here, in my arms, where I know you'll always return to me."

Annie leaned back in his embrace and stretched her head to the side, placing a familiar kiss on his cheek. "Always. Just for saying that, I'll make us dinner tonight."

"So, are we agreed?" Arthur asked.

"Absolutely, but I'd still like to know why." Joan replied.

"Anderson was a good agent in the past, and he's proved himself the past few months that he can still get results. Anyway, if what you say about him and Walker is true, they won't have any trouble pretending to be a couple on vacation, would they?"

"Not at all," Joan replied. "They remind you of anyone, Arthur?" she asked, standing and walking around his desk to perch on the corner.

"Us, 20 years ago. Hopefully they'll have an easier time of it," he said, standing and brushing a kiss against her cheek. "You want to tell them the good news, or should I?"

"It's still my team, Arthur. But I'll be sure they know Auggie's move to the field is with your blessing."

The next morning, Joan called Auggie into her office as soon as he arrived. As he sat down in the chair across from her, he felt a bit apprehensive. He knew she approved of his relationship with Annie, but what if she had changed her mind? Gossip in the agency traveled faster than a wildfire, and he didn't want Annie subjected to that kind of backbiting and speculation.

"Auggie, get that look off your face. You're not in trouble," Joan said, sitting behind her desk. "On the contrary, in fact. I've got a case that requires Annie's services, but she'll need a partner on it. I was talking it over with Arthur, and he insisted you'd be perfect for the job."

Auggie sat dumbstruck. "You're putting me back in the field?"

"You're going out in the field. Again. And I have to say, after your last round of field work, I'm surprised Arthur's so ready to approve this," Joan said.

Auggie kept his countenance cool, as he felt Joan's heavy gaze. He knew exactly why he was in Arthur's good graces, but he also knew the warning he was given. Auggie had helped crack the mystery of Liza Hearn's CIA leak, and Arthur was adamant that Joan be kept out of the loop. He hated lying to his boss, but he also knew Arthur's reasons behind it. He'd wanted to protect his wife.

"I'm not sure why either, Joan, but please believe me when I say what happened with Natasha will never happen again. I wouldn't betray your trust in me."

"Of course you won't," Joan said matter-of-factly. "The briefing is in the conference room in an hour. We'll detail the facts to Annie and the rest of the team then."

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Annie settled in at her desk, sighing at the stack of files and folders left there for her. It seemed every time she cleared her workplace of paperwork, more appeared like clockwork, as if elves came in the middle of the night to replenish her stock. Maybe, she thought, if she left a few laying there...nah, that'd be the easy way out.

She began sorting through them and came across a thick yellow envelope with a printed scrawl of "For your eyes only." Intrigued, she was about to open it when she looked up and saw Auggie emerging from Joan's office. A self-satisfied smirk was on his face, and she wondered what they'd been talking about.

She followed him with her eyes as he made his way down to the bullpen and into his office. Her desk was at just the right angle to see him through the glass wall, and as he sat down, her breath caught as he seemed to look up and right at her. A huge grin came to his face, and she gasped as he winked at her. She could feel a blush creep up her neck, and she pulled her gaze away from him. How he was able to know when she was looking at him, she'd never know.

Looking down at the envelope in her hands, she decided it could wait 'til later and stowed it in her desk. Booting up her computer, she noticed the empty desk directly across from hers. She'd barely spoken to him the past few months, ever since he'd learned she'd moved next to Auggie. And, now that she thought about it, he'd been absent from the office for a while.

"Are we all gathered?" Joan asked, looking around the room at the agents and support staff. "Good. We've got kind of an interesting situation here. If you'll all look at your files, please. A man by the name of Glenn Short has contacted us. He has come into possession of information that he wants to hand over, specifically several computer disks containing highly classified information. He refuses to specify where he received the information, but we've checked out his background thoroughly. A retired police officer, he's now living out his retirement with his wife of 40 years. He's requesting a handover of the disks in person to one of us."

"Wouldn't it be easier if he mailed it or brought it to us directly?" Annie asked.

"Easier, yes," Joan replied with a smile. "But Mr. Short has proven to be highly suspicious of others, and the request comes with one caveat. He does not want his wife to find out what he's doing. We are to come to him, undercover, so he can vet us and hand over the disks."

"And why are we allowing this retired cop to dictate to us?" Brad asked. Annie looked over at the veteran agent, wishing she had the years in the agency to ask such a question. And he was right, she thought. This operation seemed highly unusual.

Joan continued without answering. "Annie, I'm pulling you in on this one. You've proved in the past that people can trust you, and Mr. Short should have no trouble with that."

Annie blinked at the sudden compliment. "Thanks."

"And because Short has requested us to be undercover, and the appearance of a young, attractive blonde hanging around him may arouse his wife's suspicions, you won't be going in alone."

Reading through the file, Annie saw that the Shorts were living out their retirement years at a resort in Las Vegas. Wow, she thought. Most of her time outside the office required long transatlantic flights and stays in uninspiring locales. Now she was going to be able to go to Vegas.

Looking around the room, she sized up the grouping of co-workers and wondered who her "partner" would be. Inevitably, it'd probably be a boyfriend, as her undercover status would have her on vacation. "Who else is coming?" she asked, looking up at Joan.

"You'll be the lead agent in this, Annie. And as he's shown he's effective in the field in the past, Auggie will be joining you as your cover."

Annie looked over at Auggie, who sat next to her with that same self-satisfied grin he had when he'd left Joan's office earlier. Joan must have told him what they were planning on doing.

"Don't you think a fellow agent would be more suited to this type of operation?" Brad asked. "What if something goes wrong? No offense, Auggie, but you'd hardly be able to serve as backup."

Annie bristled at the man, and was able to retort when Joan spoke up. "As I said before, Annie is the lead agent on this. She would be going in alone, had Short not insisted on undercover status. Anderson's been requesting field work, and this op allows him to do so. And before you decide to question my decisions again, Brad, this has been run by Arthur and received his full approval."

Looking down the table at Annie, Joan said, "This may seem like a simple operation, Annie, but as I said, you're lead and responsible for the retrieval of this information. We'll be here if you need to contact us, but we won't be tracking you. Can you handle this?"

Still trying to comprehend the fact that Joan was essentially sending her and Auggie to Vegas for a weekend, Annie pulled her thoughts back together. "Absolutely. I won't let you down."

"Of course you won't," Joan said confidently. "That's all. The specifics are in the file, you two. Be sure to see me before you leave."

As the room dispersed, Annie stayed Auggie's departure with a hand on his arm. When they were alone, she said, "Oh, my God, did what just happened just happen?"

Auggie laughed, "It seems that way, doesn't it? Seems Joan and Arthur are playing matchmaker." Reaching across to her, he felt for her fingers and squeezed her hand.

"Well, yes, but it's more than that. You'll be going out in the field. I thought you said Joan had officially blackballed you since - well, you know."

"Since Natasha. It's okay, Annie, you can say her name. And I think it has more to do with Arthur's input than what Joan wants."

"Arthur asked for you to join this mission? But why?" she asked, perplexed.

"I'll tell you, but can you promise not to say anything to anyone else?" Auggie asked, lowering his voice.

"Of course."

"Liza Hearn. Remember how, when it ended, it all went out very quietly?"

"Yes, but -"

"Arthur found out about us, and he had me run an op on her. It succeeded. However, Joan knows nothing about this, and I've kept my promise to Arthur to make sure it stays that way."

Annie smiled. "So this is Arthur's way of thanking you, huh?"

"Guess so. Come on," he said, standing and releasing her hand. "We still have to go about pretending we're just friends here before we go out and pretend we're a loving couple on vacation in Vegas."

Walking out of the conference room, Annie's mind swirled at the complex situation she found herself in. But still, she thought, if the agency really needed her to spend a weekend in Vegas with the man she loved, who was she to argue?

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

"I still can't believe this is happening," Annie said, walking up the stairs to their apartments that night. Her hands were curled around Auggie's upper arm, and she leaned into him, squeezing his arm. "A government sanctioned, bought and paid for weekend in Vegas."

Auggie laughed at her unbridled joy, and knew deep down why this op meant so much to her. The past few missions she'd been sent on were in unsavory foreign locales. Having an op smack dab in your own country at a place where most people vacation seemed like a dream job.

As they ascended the last stair and turned onto their floor, they paused in the hallway. "So," Auggie whispered in a deep voice, leaning down to her, "your place or mine?"

Annie grinned at the familiar line. When they were able to come home together, they often fought over whose place they would end up at. Usually Auggie won, and not because she couldn't resist his flirtations, but, as she pointed out, he was more familiar with his place than hers.

"Both, I'm afraid. I need to get some things done. I'll come over when I'm done?" she said, sliding her hands up his chest.

"Okay, but until then -" Auggie said. He wrapped his right arm around her waist and pulled her up against him while threading the other into her hair, angling her face up to his. Annie only had a moment to take a breath before his lips claimed hers. She heard a moan and wasn't sure whether it came from him or her. Her hands were trapped between them, and she longed to move, to wrap them around him, but his grip was tight. As he moved his mouth over hers, tasting the inside of her lips with his tongue, she felt her legs go a little weak.

Sensing her movement, Auggie shifted his arm around her waist, holding her up. Taking a few steps forward, he backed her up until she was against her door. Holding her there with the pressure of his body, he brought both hands up to her face, holding her still while he angled her head upwards and took full possession of her mouth. He felt her nails dig into his chest, and he moaned at the sensation. Tearing his mouth away from hers, he stepped back, letting go of her face. "Until later, then, love," he said with a smile before turning around and heading into his apartment.

Annie stood there for another minute, trying to get her breath back, before she was able to turn and head into her own apartment. Damn, she thought, the man knew how to kiss. And a few other things, too, a little voice whispered inside her head. She sometimes wondered whether it'd be easier if she moved in with him, or they got their own place, but didn't know how to bring it up to him.

And besides, she thought, though they'd only been dating two months and made love for the first time just two days ago, she'd known he was the one for her, ever since he'd given her the diamond and emerald tennis bracelet.

Walking over to her jewelry box, she opened the lid and lifted the bracelet out. He'd given it to her a month ago, when he'd found the shell bracelet Ben had given her by her bedside. He'd angrily thought that she kept it as a reminder of the man, but she'd shown him the green tracker dot on the bracelet, the one he'd given her to track her in Sri Lanka. It may have been a reminder of a now dead man, but as she'd told him, it now reminded her of him. A few days later, he'd gifted the tennis bracelet to her, diamonds encircling the band with one brilliant green emerald at the center.

She slid it on her wrist and smiled as his words came back to her, "Your memory of me when I'm not there shouldn't be tied to a tragedy. You deserve to be able to move on."

She may not have known it for sure at that precise moment that she'd fallen in love with Auggie, but she knew for sure now.

Pulling a sweatshirt and shorts out of his closet, Auggie laid them on the bed. Quickly stripping off his sweater and shirt, he pulled the sweatshirt over his head. A soft citrus scent met his nose, and pulling the material up to his nose, he inhaled deeply. Annie. She must have borrowed it at one time, and her scent clung to it.

Prior to meeting her all those months ago, citrus had only reminded him of breakfast and a couple alcoholic drinks he indulged in occasionally. Now, though, the sweet, slightly stinging scent made him weak at the knees. It was one of the first things he'd noticed about her, when he was delegated to give her the CIA tour her first day.

Chuckling to himself, he remembered the conversation he'd had with Joan that day when she ordered him to show up the new girl as soon as she'd been vetted, fingerprinted and ID'd. His flirty nature had perked up at the task, but he'd tried to not lay it on too thick as they walked through the halls.

But she'd surprised him, he thought, as he moved to the kitchen to prepare them dinner. She was unlike any other woman he'd ever met. He didn't know it at first, but her bravery, intelligence and sometimes overly kind nature wore down the carefully constructed facade he'd placed around himself. He found himself hanging around her desk more often, and waiting for her to return from missions to ask his advice.

He'd fallen hard and fast with Natasha, but that kind of love often dies just as quickly. His love for Annie, though, started way before she moved in across the hall. It was slow and inevitable, he thought. When he first voiced his feelings to her a couple of days ago, he'd realized he should have said it sooner. Life was way too short and too unpredictable to keep those kind of feelings under wraps.

They'd made an important step in their relationship two days ago when she invited him into her bed. He'd wanted to keep the pace of their togetherness up to her, but wasn't sure he could have lasted much longer before being able to fully make love to her. And now, he thought, he didn't want to wait much longer for the next step. He wanted to keep her by his side always, and had entertained the notion of asking her to move in with him.

But again, he didn't want to push her too hard and wind up breaking up the most important thing in his life.

He'd finished cooking and was transferring the food to two plates when he heard his apartment door open.

"Something smells delicious. What have you been doing?" Annie asked, walking over to him and pressing a kiss against his cheek.

"Making dinner. Thought it'd be a nice change from takeout," Auggie said, handing her a glass of wine.

"If I'd known you were such a great cook, I'd have asked you out months ago," Annie replied, taking the wine from his fingers.

"Ahh, so you only love me for my cooking, huh?" Auggie asked, feigning a hurt look.

"No, I love you because of this," Annie said, grasping his fingers and laying them on her bracelet. "Because you've always been there for me, even when I didn't think I needed you, you were there."

"Always, Annie," Auggie said, running his fingers along the stones of the bracelet. "Now," he continued, "let's eat. I want to go over the details of the mission again. You think Joan left us enough time to get in some action at the Blackjack tables before we leave?"

"Well, I was hoping to get in some time at the craps table, myself," she said, laughing.

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

"Annie, you ready to go?"

"Just a minute," she said, sliding the last of her files in her desk. After a final briefing from Joan and a farewell cup of coffee from Conrad, she and Auggie were preparing to leave Friday morning. As she was sliding the drawer closed, she saw the manila envelope she had stowed in there earlier that week. She had forgotten about it in all the excitement. Pulling it out, she stowed it in the side pocket of her overnight bag to look at later.

"Wanna go to Vegas?" she said, standing and pulling the handle out of the bag, allowing it to roll on its wheels beside her.

"I thought you'd never ask," he replied, transferring the strap of his bag to his other shoulder so she could grasp his elbow.

"You never said how we got first class seats. Any other time I have to fly, you guys put me in coach, or if I'm lucky, business class," Annie grumbled, walking past Auggie into their hotel room that afternoon. Her mood immediately lightened at she looked around her.

The Le Grande Dame hotel wasn't one of the big name places on the strip, but what it didn't have in name recognition, it made up for in elegance. Decorated in subtle shades of yellow and beige, with tasteful and simple matching artwork of nature scenes, Annie's breath was taken away.

"Auggie, this place is beautiful," she whispered, rolling her overnight carrier to the end of the bed.

"I'll have to take your word for it," Auggie replied, dropping his bag off his shoulder by the front door, which he closed and locked. Following her scent and the sound of her voice, he walked up to her and slid his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him.

"And our cover is a loving couple on a weekend vacation from the big city. Apparently, I'm very well off and like to treat my lady to only the best," he said, moving her hair off her neck to press soft kisses against it. "That includes first-class tickets and one swanky hotel room. The management have also afforded us comp chips to induce us into some table play."

Gripping his arms around her waist, Annie leaned her head to the side, relishing the delicious feel of his mouth against her. As her breath became shallower, she said, "But we're only supposed to be fooling Short's wife. Why the complete setup?"

"Don't know. Joan set it up. She must have her reasons," Auggie replied, letting go of her waist and sliding her coat off her shoulders. His lips never leaving her neck, he slid his arms back around her and began unbuttoning her shirt slowly.

"Auggie, don't you think we should go over the mission details?" she whispered, placing her hands on his, at first to stop him, but finding herself unable to do so.

"We are," he said. Never letting go of her, he took a step sideways until his leg hit the bed. Her shirt undone, he turned her in his arms and blazed a trail of kisses across her jaw before settling on her mouth. Her arms linked around his neck, and he guided them both down onto the mattress. Sitting across from each other, they only broke apart long enough for Annie to slide his jacket off and pull his sweater over his head.

"Glenn and Marjorie Short, both aged 70, married 40 years," Auggie recited as Annie's mouth left his. He heard fabric shifting, and when she returned to him, he felt the bare skin of her arms as they reached around his chest. He almost lost his breath completely as he felt her kiss the hollow of his throat. As she continued her ministrations, he continued. "Glenn Short, retired from NYC police department for the past ten years, has found a new profession as amateur Texas Hold 'Em poker player. He and his wife spend half of their time traveling to various venues to enter tournaments. Oh, God, Annie," he groaned as her mouth moved along his collarbone and her fingers glided along his chest, fingernails leaving a reddened trail.

"You were saying?" Annie said, grinning at the effect she had on him.

"In one of the more seedier tournaments, a prop bet he won against another player resulted in him receiving the disks, which were paid in lieu of cash. In finding what was on the disks, he contacted us."

"Mmm, sounds good so far," Annie said, pressing against his shoulders until he lay back against the pillows. Following him down, she lay against his chest and continued her seduction of his neck. "Continue."

"If you insist," Auggie whispered, swallowing hard. "Short and his wife will be at the casino tonight, where we'll make their acquaintance. If all goes well, he will meet us again tomorrow and hand over the disks. We leave for home Sunday afternoon."

"Well-spoken," Annie grinned, taking a look at her watch. "We don't have to meet Short until tonight, huh?"

"7:00, to be precise," Auggie replied, running his hands over the smoth skin of her back.

"Think we should go have dinner? That airplane food wasn't very filling."

"No," he replied, grasping her hair and pulling her up for a searing kiss.

At precisely 6:55pm, Anne Shaker and August Jones walked into the Grande Casino, dressed to the nines, his hand clasped to her elbow for guidance. Auggie kept his grip firm on her, as the crowds and cacophony of people's voices, music and continuous ringing of slot machines made it difficult for him to navigate.

"He said he'd be hanging around the blackjack tables," Auggie whispered into her ear.

"It's across the room," Annie replied, placing her hand over his. After a minute, she saw their mark. Glenn and Marjorie Short stood at one of the tables, him of medium height and clad in all black, complete with bolo tie and silver-bedecked black stetson. His wife, a slender woman whose looks belied her age, wore jeans and a flowered print shirt.

After whispering all this to Auggie quickly, Annie and he walked up to the table. "Ready to press your luck, honey?" Annie asked as they settled on the stools. "Remember, my birthday is coming up. I expect a diamond or two."

Setting his chips onto the table, Auggie replied, "Don't need luck when I've got you by my side, sweetheart."

Giggling, Annie nudged against his side and glanced up to see the Shorts smiling at them. Glenn gave her a surreptitious nod, which Annie reciprocated.

"You tell her, son," Glenn Short said, his voice gruff with age. "They don't call her Lady Luck for nothing."

His wife laughed. "And don't you forget it, mister," she said, reaching up to place a kiss on his cheek. "He's never lost with me by his side, you know."

"See, honey," Auggie said as the cards were dealt. "With you by me, I can't lose."

"We'll see," Annie replied, as she got up off her stool and stood next to him. "8 of clubs, 3 of hearts."

"Hit me," Auggie said.

And they continued on for half an hour, Annie more than a little impressed at Auggie's gameplay. She didn't know what specific strategy he was using, but he'd won more than he lost, and she congratulated every win with a kiss.

"I'll be right back," she heard Marjorie Short say to her husband.

"I'll be right here," he replied, placing a kiss on her forehead as he watched her walk away. "You seem to have the right touch, my boy," he said to Auggie once his wife was out of earshot. "You two be here all weekend?"

"'Til Sunday, yes," Annie replied.

"Maybe we'll catch up to you tomorrow, and you can share a few of your secrets with me," he said.

"Sounds like fun," Annie said, "don't you think so, sweetheart?"

"Why not?"

"See you tomorrow, then," Glenn Short said, nodding his head and touching the brim of his Stetson with his finger.

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

"So what are you saying, Auggie? We should lie to our bosses and say we broke even with the chips they provided, and keep the winnings?" Annie said, pressing the elevator button. After the Shorts had left their table, she and Auggie took their chips to a roulette table, where a couple well-placed chips increased their stack.

"We only won a thousand bucks, Annie," he replied, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "And if you won't tell, I won't."

Annie shivered as his breath tickled her neck. The elevator doors opened, and she pulled on his hand, tugging them both inside. As they slid closed again, they heard a woman's voice. "Hold that elevator!"

Annie quickly hit the door open button, and as they slid back open, Marjorie Short walked in. "Oh, hey, you two. Give up on the tables already?"

"We've had a long day," Annie replied. "I'm sorry, I guess we never introduced ourselves. I'm Annie, and this is Auggie," she said, holding her hand out to the woman, who squeezed her fingers. Marjorie then held her hand out to Auggie, who with a whisper from Annie, raised his hand, also, to receive the same handshake.

"Marjorie Short, dears," she said, pressing the button to her floor. As the doors slid closed once again, she ran an eye over them, taking in their clasped hands. "You two on your honeymoon or something?"

"Ohh," Annie said, eyes growing wide. She glanced at Auggie, whose eyes had grown wide. His lips had curled up at the edges, fighting a smile. "No, we're just - well, having a nice weekend away, I guess."

"Really? I must say, by the looks of you, I'd say you were already married, but it's no business of mine, really." Pulling a compact mirror out of her purse, she checked her hairstyle, fluffing up the curls. "Now, take me and Glenn. We been together for 40 years now. I thought it was hard enough being a cop's wife, but now I'm being dragged across the country from one casino to the next so he can play cards."

"It must be difficult for you," Annie said. "Probably not what you thought you'd spend your retirement years doing, huh?"

Marjorie gave out a short laugh, "Honey, Glenn could be scuba diving off the coast of Madagascar, and I'd be there beside him. We're partners in life, and wherever he goes, I go, whether he likes it or not. You know," she continued, a wistful smile coming to her mouth, "he asked me once, years ago, after we'd been married for a few years, why I put up with his crazy schedules and long hours."

"And what did you say?" Auggie asked.

"Because I loved him, of course. Simple and pure. Nothing else in this world has equaled the excitement and passion I feel whenever I'm in the room with him, not then, and not now."

The elevator slid to a stop with a low ding, and Marjorie said, "This is my floor. You two here all weekend?"

"Yes," Auggie said.

"Maybe me and Glenn can join you for drinks tomorrow?"

"Sounds great."

With a wink to Annie, Marjorie walked out.

Walking out of the bathroom clad in pajama bottoms and rubbing a towel through his wet hair, Auggie heard Annie sigh. Joining her on the bed, where she sat against the pillows with her legs pulled up to her chest, he said, "And what kind of sigh was that?"

"Just an amazed one," she replied. "Can you imagine being so devoted to someone that you'd follow them to the ends of the earth for 40 years?"

"You're talking about the Shorts, I take it?" he asked, tossing the towel across the room.

"Just what Marjorie was talking about in the elevator. The look on her face when she talked about how much she loved him. I hope when I'm approaching 70 I'm able to have that."

Sliding under the covers, Auggie fluffed the pillows behind him. "Well, my parents have been married for about as long as that. I don't think my Mom would fly all over the country after him, but they've never been apart."

"You're from Illinois, right? What do your parents do?" Annie asked.

"Tenured professors at Illinois State University. I'm the youngest of five boys, and she had to take some time off to have us and raise us for a bit, but she returned to teaching. She said raising such a large family required more money than one income, but I think it's because she couldn't stand to be separated from him," he said.

Pulling on the blankets, he raised them, and Annie slid under them with him. He raised his arm, and she moved alongside him, placing her head on his shoulder. "What about your parents?"

"Actually, I don't know where they are now," Annie said with a smile. "Dad dragged us from army base to army base as kids, and when he retired, he promised he'd go wherever she wanted. She decided she liked the traveling, and they've been cruising around the world ever since. We get postcards from the weirdest places."

Auggie laughed and placed a kiss against her hair. As she wrapped her arm around his chest and settled in, he thought back on what Marjorie Short had said in the elevator. The older couple loved each other, "pure and simple," as she had put it. They reminded him of his own parents, who, though more conservative and less prone to public displays of affection, never wavered in their devotion to each other.

He felt an odd tug across his chest, one that he'd felt a couple of times in the past, mostly when he went back home to visit. A kind of longing for the kind of simple life where he'd meet a girl, they'd fall in love and get married. A couple of kids, a mortgage, and successful career behind them, they'd retire and live out their remaining years happily ever after.

Tightening his arm around Annie's back, he felt her shift, sliding her leg over his as she fell asleep. He'd never have that kind of life, he knew, given the roadblocks thrown up in his way over the past few years. But what if, he thought, he could have some of it?

"It's showtime," Auggie whispered to Annie as they entered the hotel's restaurant. "Do you see them?"

"Yes," Annie said, looking across the room. Glenn and Marjorie were sitting at a table by the bar, and upon seeing them enter, Marjorie raised her arm and waved to her. "Marjorie's waving us over."

"Let's go."

"Look who it is, Glenn," Marjorie said as they approached the table. "Annie and Auggie, right? Join us for a drink?"

"Sure, we've got some time before dinner," Annie said, releasing Auggie's hand and placing it on the back of one of the chairs.

"Nice to meet you again," Glenn said, rising a bit from his chair as they sat down. "How'd your luck at the tables hold out last night?"

"We held our own," Auggie said. "Of course, with my lady by my side, I couldn't lose."

Marjorie began looking around, "Honey, where did that waiter go? I promised our new friends I'd buy them a drink. Oh, never mind. The bar's right there. I'll have to get them myself." With a huff, she stood and walked over to the bar.

"You do that, honey," Glenn laughed. As he watched her walk away, he said, "We have a few minutes, now's as good a time as any." Reaching into his jacket pocket, he withdrew a envelope and slid it across the table. "I'll be a happier man now that that's out of my possession."

Picking it up, Annie slid it into her purse. "I thought you needed to check us out first, see if we were trustworthy."

"Several decades in law enforcement creates some hard habits, hard to break. Besides, Marj wouldn't stop talking about you last night. Said you two reminded her of us back in the day," he said, raising his glass to them before taking a drink.

Annie felt Auggie's hand under the table, as it brushed against her arm. She twined her fingers around his and felt him squeeze hers in return. "We've only been dating for a couple of months now. It's nothing compared to your life together," she said.

"Let me give you a piece of advice," Glenn said, leaning forward and lowering his voice. "Don't live in the what ifs and the may bes, live your lives now."

"Ahh, here we are!" Marjorie said as she returned to the table, setting down the drinks in front of Annie and Auggie. "I hope you don't mind I chose for you. Vodka cranberry's my drink. Thought you'd enjoy it, too."

"No, it's fine," Annie said, guiding Auggie's hand to the drink in front of him before picking up her own.

"I think a toast is in order," Marjorie said, and as they all picked up their drinks, she continued, "To our new friends, Annie and Auggie, may their lives be as happy as ours."

"Hear hear," Glenn chimed in.

Folding her dress, Annie placed it back inside her suitcase. She hadn't bought anything while they were there, but things never seemed to quite fit back in the way they did the first time. Pressing down on the stack of clothes, she heard a crunch. She reached into the inside pocket and found the envelope she had put there before they left. "For your eyes only," she read to herself. "Might as well read it now," she said, sitting down on the bed and opening it.

She pulled out a bound stack of papers, with a hand-written note taped to the front. Looking down at the bottom, she saw it was from Jai.

_"Annie: Sorry I couldn't give this to you in person, but Arthur's assigned me out of country for the next week. I must say, I was surprised when I found out that you were dating Anderson. Had you put your trust in me and asked my opinion, I could have warned you against doing so. I've known him for a long time and know that he's not the type to settle down with one woman._

_I was hoping when this Mercer business was far behind us, we could sit down and start over again. I hope you don't hold my actions against me. Please know I was only following Arthur's orders and vowed to myself to protect you so that maybe, some day, we could have something of a life together. I care for you, Annie, more than you'll know, and more than your current boyfriend can ever offer. I'll see you when I get back. Love, Jai."_

Dropping the stack of papers next to her, Annie felt anger boiling up in her. "He just doesn't know when to quit, does he?" she said.

"Who doesn't?" Auggie said, walking out of the bathroom.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. Just talking to myself," Annie said, unable to keep the anger out of her voice. Standing, she stuffed the papers and envelope back into her suitcase and zipped it shut.

"Annie? What is it?" Auggie said, walking up to her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Jai," Annie said, turning and facing him.

"Jai doesn't know when to quit? What are you talking about?"

Taking a deep breath, Annie took his hand and led him to the bed, sitting down. She unzipped her suitcase and took out the papers, handing them to Auggie. "This was placed on my desk earlier this week. The front of the envelope said 'for your eyes only.' I had put off opening it, and put it in my suitcase as we were leaving Friday. I just now remembered I had it."

"And Jai figures in how?" he said, handing the papers back to her.

"He sent it to me. Apparently, he's gone out of country on a mission, and wanted to make sure I got this before he got back."

"What's it say?" Auggie said, confused.

Picking up Jai's hand-written letter, she read it to Auggie. When she'd finished, she looked up at him, and saw that he had his eyes closed and fists clenched beside him. "Auggie?"

"You're right, Annie. That bastard just doesn't know when to quit." Standing suddenly, he started pacing back and forth. "What else is in the package? The other papers?"

"I don't know. I didn't look at them. I didn't think I had to," Annie said quietly, wondering what was causing the anger that was emanating from him. "He's just jealous, Auggie. You know that. You also know that, once I found out he played me for Ben, I cut off all ties with him."

"Don't bother looking at them, Annie. I know what they say, and if Jai's as delusional and desperate as I know he is, he's included all the information from when I was in Special Forces, and a couple of missions I ran for Joan when I first joined the agency."

"But what -"

"I'm not a choir boy, Annie," he said, stopping in his tracks. "What happens on the battlefield isn't all roses and light, and before the accident that robbed me of my sight, I'd done and seen things I never thought I'd do in my life. All that information is classified, but I'm sure Jai was able to pull the details and wrap them in a pretty little package for you."

Clenching her jaw against her own rising anger, Annie picked up Jai's letter and started ripping it into pieces.

"What are you doing?" Auggie asked, sitting down next to her on the bed again.

"What I should have done when I first read it," Annie said angrily. Picking up the rest of the papers, she resumed her destruction, ripping each paper in pieces. "Why, Auggie, huh? Why do people get getting in our way? I am sick and tired of it. Why can't they just leave us alone?"

"They?"

"Yes, they," she said, getting more than a little release from the feel of the paper shredding in her fingers. "First Natasha pops up, and you almost run away with her. Don't deny it, I saw the look on your face when she started talking at Data Tech. And then I find out you're dating Liza, sleeping with her, in fact. And once she goes away, up pops Ben, making all kinds of promises to me, and seducing me back into his bed before he runs off the next morning, again! And now Jai, spouting all this trash to me about you, about how you could never care for me as much as he can. I'm sick of it!"

The last sentence almost shouted, Annie sobbed, having worked herself up so much, tears were burning behind her eyes.

"Annie."

Looking over at Auggie, she saw his arms open, and she launched herself into his embrace. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell," she said quietly into his shoulder. "It's just so frustrating. All I want is to be with you, but it seems like the universe is against it."

"Hardly," Auggie said, wrapping his arms tighter around her. "Just a few roadblocks in the road. We'll get over them, I promise you."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because -" Auggie said, taking a deep breath. "I'm in love with you, and if you know anything at all about soldiers, even former ones, we're fiercely loyal to those things we're sworn to protect."

Leaning back in his embrace, Annie looked into his unseeing eyes and pressed a kiss against each one of them. "I love you, too, Auggie. But what if something else comes along? Another roadblock? What if -"

"Shh," Auggie said, pressing his fingers against her lips. "I'll never leave you, Annie. Remember what Glenn said? He said we shouldn't live in the what ifs and the may bes, that we should live our lives now. And personally, I think he knows what he's talking about."

Smiling, Annie said, "So what, we should give up our lives and run away together, live in the now?"

"No, not give up our lives, but living in the now seems doable."

"What are you getting at?"

"Well, we are in Vegas."

"Yeah, so?"

Blinking with a sudden realization, Annie's breath caught in her throat. "Are you saying we should get hitched?"

"Umm, yeah, I guess I am," Auggie said, a wide smile breaking across his face. "Granted, I had imagined this scene going a little more smoothly, but -"

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

Rolling her eyes at him, Annie said, "You are asking me to marry you, right?"

"And you just said yes."

"Yes, I did."

"Oh, wow."

"Yeah, wow," Annie said, grasping his face with both hands and kissing him. Auggie's arms tightened around her as he angled his head and returned her caress.

"Hey, Auggie," she whispered against his mouth, "I know what we can spend our gambling winnings on."

"So do I," Auggie replied. "Would you prefer a gold or silver band?"

"So, think we have to hide this?" Auggie said as they entered the hallway leading down to the DPD Monday morning. Raising her left hand to his mouth, he kissed her ring finger where the cool gold band encircled it.

"No, I don't think there's any way I can hide my feelings for you now," Annie said.

Smiling, Auggie felt for the handle of the large glass doors, and they walked through, hands still clenched together. "Guess we should report into Joan first," Annie said. "We were on a mission and have to debrief."

As they walked past the bullpen to the stairs leading to Joan's office, Annie saw Jai look up from his desk. His jaw dropped open at the sight of them walking past. Releasing Auggie, Annie waved at him with her left hand. "Welcome back, Jai."

As they were climbing the stairs, Auggie whispered to her, "That was a bit cruel."

"But necessary."

Auggie knocked on Joan's door.

"Come in, Auggie," he heard, and opened the door, letting Annie pass in front of him.

"I take it the mission was successful?" Joan said, not looking up from the file on her desk.

"Yes," Annie said, "Short released the disks to us."

"Great. Auggie, will you have your team go through the information on them?" she said, never even glancing up at them.

"Of course," Auggie replied. "Um, Joan -"

"I'm really quite busy here, Auggie. Spit it out."

"It's just that, Annie and I - well -" Auggie stuttered, not knowing how to phrase what he needed to tell her.

"Joan, we got married yesterday, in Vegas, before we left," Annie said.

Looking up from her paperwork, Joan blinked once, noticing now that Annie and Auggie were standing in front of her, hands clasped together, simple gold bands around their ring fingers.

"It was all kind of spur of the moment, but we do love each other," Annie explained. "And be assured that this will in no way affect our professional lives."

"Okay," Joan said slowly. "Well, I guess I should say congratulations. Truly, I'm very happy for the both of you."

"Thanks, Joan," Auggie said quietly.

"You're welcome. Dismissed," she said, resuming her paperwork as the couple left her office. Hearing her phone ring, she answered it, "Campbell."

"Joan," Arthur said, "you free for lunch today?"

"I'm sure I can manage it. Anderson and Walker have returned. They retrieved the disks."

"Great work. Told you they'd work well together."

"And they're also married."

"What? They got married? So much for professional decorum," Arthur replied.

"Tell me you didn't set this up from the beginning, Arthur," Joan said, noting the tone of Arthur's voice.

"Who, me? I just thought they deserved a break away from the office, is all," Arthur chuckled.

THE END


End file.
